선수 소개

What are your strengths as a fighter? Versatility – mixture of grappling, striking and submission.

Why do you think you’ve made it into The Smashes? Head strong, motivated and dedicated.

How / why did you start training in MMA? My uncle was a huge UFC fan from years ago. He talked about the likes of Tito Ortiz and Chuck Liddell and he said “you've got to watch this man, you've got to watch this”. When I did, we spent an entire night just watching reruns of old UFC events and I knew I had to figure out how to get into this. I originally started training in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and then I saw an opportunity to make this serious/professional and I took it. I like the competitiveness, the isolation of it all and the fact that you are not depending on anyone but yourself.

How long have you been training in MMA? 5 years

Why do you love MMA? It’s new and unlike any other sport. It’s exciting and always evolving, I love the whole diversity of it. You can't go into a competition with one skill set, you can’t just be a striker for example, you need an all-round game. I love the way you can defend yourself in so many ways and it’s exciting to watch. I just love it. I'm a huge MMA fan as much as I am a fighter - as soon as I started watching the sport I fell in love with it.

Why do you think you will be the next Ultimate Fighter? I have the most to lose – I will be supporting my family through this so I have a lot of motivation. I have two kids and being in the house, the time away from them is always hard. My son was born six months ago and he just lit a spark and made everything more real for me. My eyes are always on the prize but seeing him just sparked it up again.

Do you think the Australia / UK rivalry is going to affect the competition? I think that the long history of rivalry is going to spark in the house, especially if flags get waved around. All you need is an Aussie, Aussie, Aussie and it will fire all the boys.

Do you have any heroes? My mother – she taught me to be tough and always said “I am raising a man not a boy.” My mother passed away when I was 17 but she taught me how to be tough. She's someone I carry in my heart and she'll always be my hero.

What / who inspires you? My children and my wife because they bring me back down to earth and they’re the people I do this for. What would a contract to fight in the UFC mean to you? To fight in the UFC has been a long term goal for me so it’s means everything and it’s the ultimate achievement for any fighter.

Can you tell us about your family? I had a strict Christian upbringing and my parents don’t approve of my sport, they wish I did something else but they do still watch my fights.

Can you tell us about your previous fights? In February 2012 I fought Regan Wilson and knocked him out with a head kick. This fight was great because it showcased all of my strengths.How do you rate your chances in The Smashes? High. I definitely think I've got what it takes to be the Ultimate Fighter.

What are you most excited about now that you’re in The Ultimate Fighter? Fighting with UFC on my shorts and to be a part of Australian history, representing my country.

Anything unusual / quirky that you would like people to know about you? • I’m an excellent cook and I make a twice-cooked pork belly from hell!• My nickname, Chalate, is a place where I'm from originally from El Salvador. During the civil war if you had just been to Chalate it means you've come back from fighting because it was a main war zone. I used to play a lot of video games. I used to play Halo and Chalate was my username. When I was playing Halo, some of my mates saw it and the name just stuck.